Patents by Inventor Manato Kobayashi

Manato Kobayashi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240168414
    Abstract: In a cross section perpendicular to a rotational axis of a first image bearing member, when a common tangential line between the first image bearing member and a second image bearing member on an intermediary transfer belt side is a rectilinear line L, a rectilinear line passing through a rotation center of the first image bearing member and a rotation center of a first transfer member is a rectilinear line P, and a rectilinear line passing through an intersection point between the rectilinear line P and the first image bearing member and perpendicular to the rectilinear line P is a rectilinear line Q, an electrode member is constituted so that the contact portion contacting an inner surface of the belt is positioned on a first image bearing member side than the rectilinear line L is and on a first transfer member side than the rectilinear line Q is.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: MANATO KOBAYASHI, YUSUKE MINATO, IZURU TANAKA, RYOSUKE TSURUGA
  • Patent number: 11960221
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, an urging member, a first position changing mechanism, a storing portion, a controller, and an operating portion. The controller controls the first position changing mechanism on the basis of a kind of a recording material on which an image is formed, first set information stored in the storing portion, and first input information for changing setting of a position of the urging member inputted to the controller through the operating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Yutaka Kakehi, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11947285
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a rotatable endless belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, a guiding member, a sheet-like pressing member, and a coating member. The coating member is disposed on the pressing member so as not to contact the belt and is electrically grounded or electrically conducted to the guiding member. The coating member is formed of a material lower in surface resistivity than the pressing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Manato Kobayashi, Yutaka Kakehi
  • Patent number: 11829088
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a transfer portion, a power source, a reading portion, and a controller. The controller executes an output operation so that first test images do not overlap with second test images, respectively, on a first side and a second side of a recording material. On the basis of information on a second test voltage for transfer of the second test image, of the plurality of second test images, of which information on a density read by the reading portion coincides with a preset condition, the controller sets a transfer voltage for image transfer onto the second side in double side image formation so that an absolute value of the transfer voltage set for the image transfer onto the second side in double side image formation is greater than an absolute value of the second test voltage that coincides with the preset condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Manato Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230130018
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a rotatable endless belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, a guiding member, a sheet-like pressing member, and a coating member. The coating member is disposed on the pressing member so as not to contact the belt and is electrically grounded or electrically conducted to the guiding member. The coating member is formed of a material lower in surface resistivity than the pressing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Manato Kobayashi, Yutaka Kakehi
  • Publication number: 20230107683
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, an urging member, a first position changing mechanism, a storing portion, a controller, and an operating portion. The controller controls the first position changing mechanism on the basis of a kind of a recording material on which an image is formed, first set information stored in the storing portion, and first input information for changing setting of a position of the urging member inputted to the controller through the operating portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Yutaka Kakehi, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11500309
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, an urging member, a first position changing mechanism, a storing portion, a controller, and an operating portion. The controller controls the first position changing mechanism on the basis of a kind of a recording material on which an image is formed, first set information stored in the storing portion, and first input information for changing setting of a position of the urging member inputted to the controller through the operating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Yutaka Kakehi, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20220357693
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a transfer portion, a power source, a reading portion, and a controller. The controller executes an output operation so that first test images do not overlap with second test images, respectively, on a first side and a second side of a recording material. On the basis of information on the second test voltage for transfer of the second test image, of the plurality of second test images, of which information on a density read by the reading portion coincides with a preset condition, the controller sets a transfer voltage for image transfer onto the second side in double-side image formation so that an absolute value of the transfer voltage set for the image transfer onto the second side in the double-side image formation is larger than an absolute value of the second test voltage coincided with the preset condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventor: Manato Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11347165
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, an inner roller, an outer member, an inner roller position changing mechanism, an acquiring portion, and a controller. In a case that information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that first and second recording materials are coated paper, the controller controls a position changing mechanism so that a position of the inner roller when a toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is changed to a second position. In a case that the information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that the first and second recording materials are plain paper, the controller controls the position changing mechanism so that the position of the inner roller when the toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is maintained at a first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Kakehi, Ryosuke Tsuruga, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20210397112
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, a plurality of stretching rollers including an inner roller and an upstream roller, an outer member, an urging member, a first position changing mechanism, a storing portion, a controller, and an operating portion. The controller controls the first position changing mechanism on the basis of a kind of a recording material on which an image is formed, first set information stored in the storing portion, and first input information for changing setting of a position of the urging member inputted to the controller through the operating portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Ryosuke Tsuruga, Yutaka Kakehi, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20210397113
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a belt, an inner roller, an outer member, an inner roller position changing mechanism, an acquiring portion, and a controller. In a case that second information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that first and second recording materials are coated paper, the controller controls a position changing mechanism so that a position of the inner roller when a toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is changed to a second position. In a case that the second information acquired by the acquiring portion shows that the first and second recording materials are plain paper, the controller controls the position changing mechanism so that the position of the inner roller when the toner image is transferred onto the second recording material is maintained at a first position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Yutaka Kakehi, Ryosuke Tsuruga, Tatsuya Kohno, Manato Kobayashi